1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand held training aid for martial art instructions and training and in particular to a hand-held noise making striking pad including a pair of resonating sheets of plastic film.
2. Description of Related Art
Martial arts, boxing, and self-defense arts are widely taught to both adults and children. The training in martial arts and the like may be done on the classroom level or by way of individual one-on-one instruction. Intrinsic with learning martial arts and the like is the teaching of the proper techniques for kicking and punching. Conventional devices have been utilized in teaching the proper techniques for kicking and punching. Convention devices include punching bags which include heavy bags and speed bags, target mitts which are worn on the hands of the instructor who is known as the sensei in martial arts, punching dummies, and wall and floor mounted punching targets.
It is advantageous for the teaching process if the device for teaching kicking and/or punching technique is hand held by the instructor. In the manner, the instructor or sensei can interact immediately with the student and make immediate comments or corrections when required.
It is also advantageous if the hand-held teaching device emits an audibly loud and distinctive sound when struck flush in the target area. This gives immediate feedback to the student or practitioner and a sense of satisfaction when the target is struck properly thereby giving the student the motivation to continue to strike the teaching device flushly and thereby improving the student's skill level.
A conventional hand-held device is the so-called “clapper.” The clapper device is a tennis racket shaped device having two hingedly-attached paddle-shaped heads which clap against each other when struck, thereby emitting a noise. There are several disadvantages to such clapper devices. First, if struck incorrectly, it may be painful to the practitioner or even cause injury. Second, because it makes its noise through mechanically attached paddle heads and has moving parts, it is difficult to manufacture and comparatively fragile.
It is desirable to provide a hand-held device for use in the teaching of the proper technique for kicking and/or punching for use with martial-arts instruction, boxing instruction, self-defense arts and the like that emit an audibly loud and distinctive sound when struck in the target area.